1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to pole mounted luminaires. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an adapter for mounting a luminaire arm to a pole.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pole lights come in various forms, and typically include a pole and a mounting arm which is mounted to the pole near an upper portion of the pole length, and further includes a luminaire disposed at an end of the arm distal from the pole. The pole luminaire may include a single arm or a double arm with two opposed luminaires. The arms are typically four to ten feet in length and may be round, tapered or elliptical. In general, the pole and arm must support the weight of the luminaire and be properly engineered for wind loading. The means for mounting the arms to the poles come in various forms. In a pole top installation, the arm structure may be mounted within the inner diameter of the pole at an upper end. Alternatively, in a side mount installation, a bracket may be mounted to the outside circumference of the pole attached by bolts. In yet a further alternative, a hub may be utilized which slips over the upper end of the pole or tenon and may be held in place with set screws. In this type of installation, the arm may be oriented in any direction desired at the time of installation. With hub mounted luminaire arms, problems are sometime associated with the setscrews which are not resistant enough to prevent rotation of the hub in high wind conditions. Also a pre-drilled hole is required on the lighting pole for routing the electrical wiring. Similarly, an arm may be mounted using a clamp-on bracket, which clamps about the outer circumference of the upper end of the pole or tenon. With clamp-on brackets, problems often occur with complex installations due to the many components and fasteners. Also a pre-drilled hole is required on the lighting pole for electrical wiring coming from the bracket. With bolt-on brackets, pre-drilled holes are required on the lighting pole. For lighting pole with thin walls, it may also be necessary to install a threaded insert. Similarly, as previously described, a pre-drilled hole is required on the lighting pole for routing of electrical wiring between the pole and the bracket.
It is preferable to provide a pole luminaire with an adapter assembly for mounting which overcomes these deficiencies.